Mariah Carey has revealed that her role in Precious has boosted her self confidence.
The singing superstar returns to the big screen this week in the hard hitting drama Precious as a social worker.
And Carey is almost unrecognisable as she shed her glamorous image to play the part of Miss Weiss, who tries to help an abused teen.
Speaking to Contactmusic the actress said: "I think it was crucial to dress down. It was tough because making music videos is so different with the costumes, the angles, the lighting, stuff like that.
"In Precious, we sat in a fluorescent dentist's office and it was the worst-lit scene of the movie. The over-lighting emphasises the dark stuff under your eyes.
"I guess now I'll feel better about myself when I'm dressed normally at my house and walk past a mirror and see myself. I'll be like, well I've looked worse."
The movie has been met with huge critical acclaim and has been nominated for Best Picture at the Golden Globes and Baftas.
But Carey's performance has also been highly praised picking up Supporting Actress of the Year at the 14th Capri Hollywood International Film Festival as well as the Breakthrough Performance Award at the 21st Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Precious is released 29th January.
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